Theses and Dissertations
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Item Embargo The role of the Cold War in the sustenance of apartheid in South Africa; 1948-1991: an investigative study of cause and consequences in history(2025-09-05) Sekhaolelo, Sylvia Dineo; Kgari-Masondo, Maserole ChristinaThis study uses qualitative documentary research, a case study design, and thematic and content analysis to examine the Cold War's role in sustaining apartheid in South Africa from 1948 to 1991. A gap in the literature exists regarding the Cold War's influence on apartheid through a Cause and Consequence theoretical framework. The research finds that Cold War dynamics, driven by the global rivalry between the USA and the Soviet Union, prolonged apartheid. The USA and the UK supported apartheid South Africa, viewing it as a strategic ally against communism, despite global condemnation. Meanwhile, the Soviet Union supported liberation movements like the African National Congress (ANC), fuelling the resistance to apartheid. This international division delayed coordinated global action and deepened the apartheid regime's persistence. The study highlights that human agency, as emphasized in Neo-Hegelian causation theory, played a key role in shaping history. The superpowers, the apartheid regime, and anti-apartheid movements all contributed to the duration of apartheid. Research like this is essential for promoting global peace and decolonisation by uncovering past wrongs, fostering forgiveness, and avoiding future conflicts. For future research, the study recommended that it would be valuable to explore other international factors that influenced the Apartheid regime, beyond just the involvement of Cold War superpowers.Item Embargo Africentric Historical Study of Farming Cooperatives in Strengthening the Livelihoods of Rural Communities: The Case Study of Matangari Village, Limpopo: C. 1990-2020(2025-09-05) Ndanganeni, Ngudo; Kgari-Masondo, Maserole ChristinaThe study sought to examine the role of African-centered historical research in understanding the impact of Farming Cooperatives on the livelihoods of the rural communities in Matangari village. A review of the historical context for the establishment of Farming Cooperatives and the extent to which indigenous knowledge was incorporated was done. As such, the literature surveyed for this study reveals a gap in academia regarding studies on the Africentric approach to rural Farming Cooperatives in strengthening the livelihoods of communities. Thus, this study was undertaken to investigate the African strategies the Farming Cooperatives of Matangari used to strengthen the livelihood of communities from 1990-2020. The study was qualitative, and a case study was conducted, using semi-structured interviews involving 21 participants, amongst them important stakeholders such as local leaders and Farming Cooperative members. The data were analysed thematically because the strategy helps in coding and reducing information to the required and relevant data aligned to the phenomenon. Preliminary study findings demonstrated how crucial Farming Cooperatives are to maintaining the livelihoods of rural communities and how Africentric historical research can help us comprehend the effects more comprehensively and contribute to fighting epistemic violence against rural and African indigenous knowledge, using the case study of Matangari Village Farming Cooperatives in Limpopo. As such, the findings of the study indicated that the Farming Cooperatives, during the period under study, employed both Africentric and Western farming techniques to strengthen the livelihood of the rural community of the Matangari Village. The results of this study will contribute to the existing literature on decolonisation of history in general. Specifically, this transcends to cultural history, economic history, and other disciplines like anthropology, Indigenous knowledge, politics, sociology, and community development. Such transformation is attained through ensuring rural community development, and the capacitation of sustainable Farming Cooperatives, indigenously. I was highly recommended by the study that Cooperatives need to continue integrating traditional practices such as the davha system of collective farming, using Indigenous fertilisers, and water management techniques into their farming methodsItem Embargo A Reformed Theological Perspective on God’s Providence Amid the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of Thulamela Local Municipality, South Africa(2025-09-16) Nthakheni, Rendani Collet; Mudimeli, L. M.During challenging circumstances, people often find themselves contemplating inquiries such as, "What is the underlying cause for these events occurring in my life?" The question of the location of God has been a topic of philosophical and theological inquiry for centuries. And what is the rationale for his decision to permit this occurrence? Throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant number of individuals experienced a loss of religious conviction as they saw a sense of divine abandonment. The comprehension of the Providence of God proves advantageous in times of adversity. The primary objective of this study was to present a theodicy of God's providence in relation to the epidemic and to disseminate information regarding the concept of the Providence of God. Additionally, it aims to educate individuals about the potential for finding solace in the Providence of God during times of adversity and to provide an academic understanding of God's Providence from a Reformed perspective. The study employed a qualitative methodology. Qualitative research is characterised by its aim to comprehend and interpret phenomena through the lens of the participant's perspective. The main population to be considered in this study are the Reformed Church Members in the Vhembe District Municipality. The target group of this study will were both male and female youth and adults of the Reformed Churches at Thulamela Local Municipality under Vhembe District Municipality in South Africa. The goal of this research was to shed new light on how important it is for people who identify themselves as Christians to have faith in God's providence to comfort them during difficult times.Item Open Access Youth and land reform politics: A post-apartheid South African Perspective(2024-09-06) Mashego, Simion Sekhonkwane; Mapaya, M. G.; Mathagu, S.South Africa’s post-apartheid government land reform programme is a central aspect and epitomises the constitutional measure to provide solid redress. Land reform policies and youth socio-economic concerns demonstrate how democratic political power has been used for the past twenty-nine years. Youth is the engine of every country and a critical mass of society. Emerging democratic administration is experiencing the highest level of youth crisis without accessing the basis of wealth, and land. This study explores the socio-economic predicament youth face on the land reform policies of post-apartheid South Africa. The qualitative research method and exploratory design were applied in this study. Purposive sampling was used to select participants and interviews were used for data collection. Content analysis with the help of Atlas.ti was used to analyse both raw data and documents. The study was premised on three objectives which were to analyse South Africa’s land reform policies and assess its implementation. The critique on the impact of the policy on youth socioeconomic emancipation processes, and also explores potential transformation opportunities for land reform and youth. The redistributive justice theory was applied to provide a roadmap and interpretation of the arguments regarding the phenomena under study. The findings of the study suggest that the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, the National Assembly, and the Congress of South African Traditional Leaders need to improve the facilitation of land administration for youth to gain access to land. The study concludes that there is a serious need for the promulgation of a youth land ownership policy after the almost a quarter of a century under a democratic South Africa.Item Open Access Representation of Southern African National Liberation Movements at the United Nations, 1962-1975(2024-09-06) Mabitsela, Seane; Dzimiri, P.; Chari, T. J.; Matshidze, P.This thesis examines the representation of Southern African national liberation movements at the United Nations (UN) from 1962 to 1975. The thesis discusses the UN practice for their representation; UN reaction and response to their representation over time; Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in their representation and the effects for their representation. The thesis reveals that initially, there were no explicit provisions or pertinent rules of procedure for national liberation movements' representation at the UN. The UN General Assembly (GA), however, crafted a practice whereby it invited through and in consultation with the OAU, representatives of the national liberation movements to take part in an observer capacity in its main committees and organs’ proceedings and deliberations. It also reveals that the UN reacted and responded to the movements’ representation by explicitly acknowledging their role in the decolonisation process. The thesis, further, reveals that this role was expressed through GA decisions that offered international aid and support to the movements; and inviting their representatives to take part in conferences held under UN auspices. Based on extensive review of primary and secondary data sources, this thesis concludes that representation of national liberation movements at the UN held effects for politics, law, and relations. As in so much else, representation of the national liberation movements on the international political plane will remain to be one of the hot topics and the one which offers a meeting point for the fields of politics, law, and international relations. This meeting point emerged in 1962 when the UN GA decided to implement or apply the 1960 Declaration on Decolonisation/Impendence. By 1975, a precedent and a major change were established as far as the representation of Southern Africa national liberation movements at the UN was concerned.Item Open Access Reforming reformed liturgy: An African decoconial study of liturgical practices in the Black Reformed Churches of South Africa (RCSA)(2024-09-06) Mudau, Ndidzulafhi; Khosa, H. P.; Mudimeli, L. M.The introduction of Western Christianity has resulted in the colonisation of African societies, with little regard for the indigenous religious beliefs and knowledge systems of the people. A predicament confronts African Christians whereby adherence to integrity necessitates the observance of Western cultural customs in their religious practices, while simultaneously upholding their native African cultural heritage. This study focuses on the reading of African Decolonial literature, with the aim of Decolonising Christian Liturgy for the worship services in South African black Reformed churches, focusing on the order of worship in the African context. Research questions were used to unpack the problem in question and come up with strategies that help to Decolonise Reformed Liturgies and, in the process, enrich them with an African outlook. The study was organised around four research models: exploratory, descriptive, normative, and action research. The population of interest for the study comprised male and female youths and adults at the black RCSA, specifically in Limpopo Province's Vhembe District in South Africa. The research utilises focus groups and interviews as methods of data collection. The purpose of these tools was to enhance the researcher's understanding of the participants' perspectives and viewpoints on the Reformed Order of Liturgy, as well as its potential for decolonisation. This has significant implications for the church's identity and the spiritual experiences of believers during worship. Chapter One primarily aimed to introduce the process of reformation and decolonisation of Reformed Liturgy within an African setting, with a specific emphasis on the black Reformed Church in South Africa (RCSA). Chapter Two focused on presenting secondary material from multiple sources, specifically emphasising and demonstrating the historical development of the worship order in black Reformed churches. Moreover, it functioned as a manual for examining the decolonial viewpoint of black Reformed churches and striving to research methodologies used to obtain and analyse data as part of the research process. Chapter Four explored how missionaries utilised church rituals to achieve colonial domination over the African mindset. Furthermore, it examines the several approaches through which church ritual was used to establish control over the African mindset. Chapter Five explored the reasons behind the need for the Reformed Liturgy to undergo reformation and decolonisation.Item Embargo Deviant Healing Practices within Contemporary Religious Movements in Ṱhohoyanḓou, Limpopo: Towards a Post-Colonial African Practical Theology Perspective(2024-09-06) Muthivhi, Mashudu Edward; Mudimeli, L. M.; Dames, G. E.The legacy of imperialism on Indigenous belief systems has imprinted an arguable influence on the identity and traditions of religiosity in the histories of Africa. The phenomenon of religion entails socio-political and cultural realities, some of which may overlap, correspond, or compete with different fields of study, which ultimately bears an impact on the conventional understanding of religious meaning, practice, and function. The introduction of Eurocentric orientations into African spirituality did not only encounter Indigenous religious systems but resulted in the development of religious pluralism. As such the researcher felt obliged to explore the Christian religious setting from an African perspective. The study unpacked the universality of the religion and focused on the underlying philosophy of African religious experiences and expression. The latter was engaged from two complimentary investigative angles: i) the researcher defined and explained deviant healing practices within contemporary religious movements in Ṱhohoyanḓou from a Practical Theology perspective and thereby probed consequent incidents of spiritual abuse; ii), in addition the researcher also appraised the implications and challenges of melding Indigenous religious beliefs and practices, and those of Western origination. This sought to unearth the depth of missionary influence or lack thereof; that contributed to deviant healing practices amongst identities within the Vhavenḓa spiritual landscape and heritage. The study is qualitative in nature and encompasses an ethnographic research methodology. This comprised of literature review, an empirical survey of deviant practices and an assessment of Western and African religious inclinations in modern day society. Hopefully, the research poses a benefit to faith communities, religious and government leaders and consequently, equips individuals who can provide positive influence. Ultimately, the study served to present religious insights from a Practical Theology perspective and equally expound on the interpretations of pastoral care within contemporary religious belief systems.Item Open Access Pastoral care interventions by untrained pastoral caregivers in Polokwane Province, South Africa(2024-09-06) Mashabela, Segotji Elias; Baloyi, G.; Mudimeli, L. M.Studies that were conducted about pastoral counselling interventions have successfully brought to light areas which were previously unknown. However, little has been written about pastoral counselling interventions by untrained pastoral counsellors and the role that untrained pastoral counsellors play in their pastoral counselling interventions. Some of their interventions were acceptable but other interventions were outrightly unacceptable, questionable, and a little deviant from the expected norm. This study seeks to investigate various counselling interventions and services conducted by untrained pastoral counsellors in the Polokwane Local Municipality of the Limpopo Province of South Africa. A qualitative research approach was utilized to solicit the needed information from various participants in this study to answer the research questions. This study utilized purposive sampling. These willing participants were interviewed using semistructured interviews. Focus group discussions added more value in getting more helpful information for better analysis and interpretation of the findings of this study. The findings that this study generated will add light to the body of knowledge and allow other researchers to expand more on this subject or related parts of this topic.